NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Chapter 5: The Tale of Melon City (Snapshots)

1. Narrate 'The Tale of Melon City' in your own words.

Ans: For the benefit of the students, a model answer has been provided. It is extremely advised that pupils prepare their answers.

Vikram Seth's The Story of Melon City is a couplet-based narrative poem. The poem recounts an event in which the king and inhabitants met in a long-ago city. The topic is well emphasised in the narrative, which is humorous. The poem is broken into three portions, the first of which discusses the ambition of a monarch to build an arch. The second portion discusses his concerns about the arch's poor construction, and the third discusses how his edict eventually falls on him, ending in his hanging and death. The poem depicts the transfer of power from the king to a melon, which became the state's symbolic head. The poet begins by describing how long ago it was.

The king went to view the newly erected arch after it was finished. It had a pretty low arch. His crown shattered when it collided with the arch. The king, feeling dishonored, planned to hang the chief of construction. The hanging had been planned in detail. The Chief of Builders defended himself by transferring blame to the laborers. The king was persuaded by the reasoning and ordered that all of the laborers be hanged.

The workmen took over the task of determining the size of the bricks. As a result, the king had the masons executed. For their side, the masons defended themselves and accused the architect. The king also ordered the architect's execution. When the architect showed the king the blueprint, he informed him that the king had made some adjustments to it. In a roundabout way, the architect blames the monarch. The king was perplexed after hearing the architect's explanation. The king sought the advice of his kingdom's wisest man. As a result, the smartest man was apprehended and brought before the court. He couldn't walk or see since he was so old. He came to the conclusion that the arch was the true criminal. 

As a result, the arch was guided to the scaffolding. Meanwhile, a councilor pointed out that hanging the arch that touched the king's crown would be a very dishonorable deed. The audience that had assembled to watch the criminal be hanged was becoming agitated. The king, sensing their mood, declared that someone must be executed since the nation demanded it. The noose had been hung. It was a little high. Turn by turn, each individual was assessed. Only one man was tall enough to fit inside the nose, and that man was the King. The king was, interestingly, hanged. The third section of the poem is then narrated by the poet. The ministers exhaled a breath of relief when they realized they were able to select someone for hanging; otherwise, the riotous multitude would have risen in protest. It was necessary to appoint a new king following the death of the previous one. The ministers sent out the herald to announce that the next person to walk through the City Gate would choose a king. The City Gate was passed by an idiot. The guards inquired as to who would be the King. The idiot said that the next monarch should be picked from a melon. Because he enjoyed melons, that was his go-to response to any question. The ministers crowned a melon and reverently installed their Melon King on the throne.

According to the poet, the citizens were unconcerned with their symbolic heads. They were drawn to the concept of allowing things to happen. They treated their new ruler with great reverence because he did not meddle with their daily life.

2. What impression would you form of a state where the King was 'just and placid'?

Ans: For the benefit of the students, a model answer has been provided. It is extremely advised that pupils prepare their answers.

Peace, liberty, and justice were enjoyed in a state where the ruler was just and calm. The king was only a title and a symbol. Citizens had complete independence in all aspects of their lives. The public was in charge of the country's genuine governance. The king had to be hanged in the poem "The Tale of a Melon City" because the populace demanded someone to be hanged. The king was powerless to protect himself. Even though the smartest man concluded that the arch was the real criminal, the public demanded that someone is executed. The king was eventually hanged. This demonstrates that in a state where the king was just and peaceful, the inhabitants had a say in the king's fate.

3. How, according to you, can peace and liberty be maintained in a state?

Ans: For the benefit of the students, a model answer has been provided. It is extremely advised that pupils prepare their answers. If there is Laissez-faire, or the principle of the king not interfering in the actions of the population, peace and liberty can be preserved in a state. The king or the government, on the other hand, must preserve law and order, failing which chaos may reign in the state. There should be a happy medium between government intrusion and citizen rights. Only then can one expect a state to retain peace and liberty.

4. Suggest a few instances in the poem which highlight humor and irony.

Ans: For the benefit of the students, a model answer has been provided. It is extremely advised that pupils prepare their answers.

In the poem, the poet employs the devices of comedy and sarcasm. Humour is defined as cognitive experiences that cause a person to chuckle. The unexpected feature of a situation that is considerably different from what one anticipates is referred to as irony. The king's choice to hang the chief of the builders for erecting a low arch when his crown struck against it elicits laughs from the audience. It is a humorous example. It's also amusing to see how the king came to believe that the laborers who built the arch were to blame. The king intended the laborers to be hanged, but they were able to defend themselves. This circumstance is both hilarious and ironic in that it makes the readers chuckle and ironic in that the laborers can shift responsibility to the architect. The architect, ironically, is allowed to delegate the duty to the king himself. The choice of the wisest man to pronounce the verdict on who was the true criminal elicits laughter and is so amusing.

Finally, the elderly man blamed the arch and proclaimed that it must be hanged. One of the pastors pointed out, ironically, that the crowd wanted a guy to be hanged. The king was hanged because the noose fit his neck. The selection of a successor is amusing since an idiot is consulted in the process. The fool chooses a melon to serve as the state's symbolic leader.

Benefits of NCERT Solutions for Class 11 The Tale of Melon City 

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Conclusion

The Tale of Melon City Class 11 is an unusual and bizarre tale about a kingdom and the events that unfold when the king decides to build an arch. Almost everybody involved in building the arch gets into trouble of facing execution from the mason to the architect, when the low arch knocks the crown off the king’s head. These solutions will help you take your next leap toward becoming exam-ready, leaving the competition in the dust.

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